Electricity is necessary for the operation of most major powered systems and subsystems of modern automobiles and other motor vehicles. The systems and subsystems include, but are not limited to alternators, heaters, starter motors, and other miscellaneous accessories which require electrical power.
The electricity for such systems and subsystems is stored in a common electrical storage battery. The most common electrical storage battery used in the United States has a twelve-volt rating. The storage battery has two main functions. First, it dispenses electrical current to these systems and subsystems. Second, it is recharged by an alternator, or in some cases by a regenerative braking system.
Modern vehicles increasingly rely upon advanced circuit protection devices, such as fuses or fusible links. Fuses and fusible links are typically placed in a fuse box that is located on and secured to a wall, and at an accessible location in the interior of the car or under the hood.
Auto manufacturers have tended to install the fuses and fusible links for larger amperage systems and subsystems, such as alternator, heaters, and starter motors, at or near the battery clamp. In some cases, clamp manufacturers have accommodated these fuses by installing them into a discrete fuse holder, and then bolting that fuse holder onto or near the clamp. The fuse holders are bolted onto the fuse clamps in any one of several planes. As a result, the clamp/fuse holder combination is bulky and somewhat unbalanced. In other cases, clamp manufacturers have simply concluded that the placement of a fuse on a particular clamp configuration, to protect critical components, was simply unfeasible.
The bolted structure that retains the fuse holder also includes a terminal. The terminal is connected by wires to various components, including the heaters, alternators, starter motors, and other systems and subsystems. In this way, a circuit is completed between the battery, clamp, fuse, and the component.
All of these wires, fuse holders, and bolts add weight to the structure secured to and surrounding the battery clamp. In addition, because the bolted fuse holders are positioned in various planes, those holders are not supported by the wall of the battery, or by any other solid surface. As a result, the fuse holders are subject to vibration. Over an extended period of time, such vibration can cause a loosening of the bolts that secure the holder to the clamp. In addition, the combination of excessive weight and the unbalanced structure can cause stress fractures or breaks. In extreme cases, the long-term vibration and the excessive, unbalanced weight can result in a loosening and displacement of the battery post to which the clamp is secured. The displacement of the post can result in the destruction of the battery.
The present invention is designed to remedy the problems of the above-described structures. Its single-piece design is intended to provide for a more direct connection between the battery and the powered components. This connection improves overall electrical performance by lowering resistance, lessening the total number of parts required, and increasing overall robustness.